Text Assignment 3

The student social movement Gitlin was referring to in the text was the Students for a Democratic Society, also known as SDS, or sometimes referred to as The New Left.  This group was directed to recruit radical democrats on college campuses all over the United States and the United Kingdom during the time of the Vietnam War. The SDS began in 1960 and supported domestic concerns and civil rights campaigns of the time.  They were also against the war in Vietnam.  This group became extremely influential after the United States bombed North Vietnam.  Two months later a march was scheduled where almost 25,000 people showed their support.  The SDS encouraged men to turn in their draft cards and flee to Canada; soldiers at war began supporting the movement; even Martin Luther King Jr. agreed that in a lot of ways, the SDS was doing the right thing (Barringer).  This movement did not last long, however. Since many SDS participants were strong followers of McCarthy, the movement faded away with the election of Lyndon Johnson. These left-over SDS members began to be considered what we know as “hippies.”

When Gitlin uses the term, “The observer changed the position of the observed,” (Goodwin p. 333) he means that the media covering news stories such as news stations, newspapers, and magazines changed the story so it interested its audience.  The media would not state the facts if it was going to deter people away from them, therefore losing business and profits.  Even today we find that viewers select different news channels to watch and/or believe because they carry slight political viewpoints on different issues. Though they would never claim a side, one channel might be known to attract more democrats than republicans due to issues covered.
                                      

The protests discussed in this class are ones that are all relevant to today and have all captured attention by means of the media in some way.  In my opinion, I have found two topics to be particularly more affected by the media than the others: Immigration and Environmental Protection. 

I think I chose immigration because growing up in Arizona, I’ve heard about it my whole life. Illegal immigration has always been a problem, but with the introduction of SB 1070, we have gotten the attention of everyone nationwide, including President Obama. SB 1070 limits illegal immigration in the state of Arizona and allows state officials to ask for documentation of a person who has acted non-accordingly to the law.  If correct papers are not present, deportation is in order.  This movement has been presented through the media by both sides of the spectrum.  There is the group that says “everyone is entitled to a better life,” the ones who “have family here that could not afford to come over legally,” the ones who are “illegal and have a way of life already,” and the people that think “what will happen if one day, every working illegal immigrant disappeared?” Then there is the other side which worries about what kind of economic hold illegal immigrants have on the country.  Taxpayers money goes to the health care of these people who cannot afford it on their own (this in turn shines a light on the healthcare social movement in America as well).  In the media, it seems that Arizona has put a negative connotation on immigration as a whole because Sherriff Joe Arpaio is always the forefront of this issue.  He has countless commercials and advertisements siding with the Right Side immigration.

Environmental Protection is another interesting topic because many celebrities are heavily endorsing the idea.  I’ll start with Al Gore.  I actually don’t know much about him, but I did see his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, on how the world is deteriorating due to global warming and how citizens can help better the earth. This movie came out in 2006, I was 16 at the time; maybe I had just figured out there were more pressing matters in the world than myself, but I felt that this was the beginning of this social movement.  I started noticing Leonardo DiCaprio endorsing alternative fuels, The Dave Matthews Band was planting trees, and everyone from Tim Robbins to Charlize Theron were driving electric or hybrid cars  (Green). When I entered college every sign seemed to say “Go Green!” or “Save the Environment.”  I think this social movement has been given a positive connotation because of the type of media it has been given.  Celebrities are idolized these days and it’s the mentality that “if they do it, then I should to,” that has created a great foundation for environmental protection.

To close, I took a class last summer called The Crisis in Modern Journalism.  I learned about where journalism started to now and how it had changed in between.  I realized that the news and media is very smart when it comes to making you believe what they have to say and how they appeal to certain types of audiences and keep them engaged.  When this is applied to a social movement, it is kind of scary what kind and how many supporters movements are able to recruit.

Barringer, Mark. "The Anti-War Movement in the United States." Modern American Poetry. University of Illinois. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/antiwar.html>.

Goodwin, Jeff, and James M. Jasper. The Social Movements Reader: Cases and Concepts. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.

"Green Celebrities – Environmental Friendly and Green Celebrity Causes – Find List of Celebrity Activists." All-American Speakers Bureau Keynote Motivational Sports Speakers. 2008. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/Green_Celebrities_&_Green_Speakers.php.